Something Was Missing
by delusional-pumpkin
Summary: She visited him everything night in her dreams in abeautiful field could not be real. But they shared a connection that was beyond all others. So she made it her mission to find him in her waking hours because she could only be with him when she found him
1. Part I

**Summary:** "I shouldn't exist."-Edward Cullen, Twilight. AU/AH. The place where she visited him in her dreams couldn't possibly be real. But they had a connection beyond all others. She had to find him outside of the dream because only then could she be with him.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight. Very simply put.

**Author's Note:** Yes, I should be writing and updating **For Eternity**. But as many writers out there will know, inspiration must be taken when it shows itself. The third chapter is finding itself rather difficult to write and this story was just begging to be put down on paper…or screen, as the case may be. This one won't be too long, five parts at most and I intend to have it done prior to heading back to school. Please remember that reviews are always appreciated!

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**Something Was Missing**

**Part I**

It was the same dream that I had every night for as long as I could remember. I knew that it was dream only because I had been revisiting it for so long. If it hadn't been for that, I'm certain that I would believe it to be reality. It was too magical to not believe it.

Every time I closed my eyes, I found myself surrounded by a sea of green. Tall wild grass stretched on as far as the eye could see. It rippled like emerald waves in the warm, comforting breeze that was always present. The grass extended in all directions, uninterrupted until it finally met the dark, ink black night sky at the horizon. There was never a moon present but the field was brightened by the stars that shone magnificently from the heavens. They alone provided enough light to see by. I could see the yellow daisies in clumps here and there, the tiny blue forget-me-nots, golden moonbeams, deep red and pink wild roses, and orange lilies. There was something about this place that was vibrant despite the lack of a sun or moon. The colors were like ones that I had never seen before; they were so intense that they stained my eyes even when they were closed. The fantastic colors blended together and shone in a way that nothing else could.

The air that rippled through the field was alive. It was as though I could feel every molecule of it brushing against my skin as it flew past me. It was charged and I knew that I had never felt as alive as when I was in this place. I had long stopped believing in magic but this place brought those long lost years back with potency. Even though I couldn't really see it, I saw it light the air, causing it to sparkle and add more light to the enchanted place. There was music too. Always the same beautiful and haunting melody that sang of a lullaby with such sweetness and love it made my heart want to break into a million pieces. It whispered through the wind, insanely quiet but I could always make it out.

The field was breathtaking. The stars, the grass, the flowers, the magic, the song. It was like a dream land. It _was_ a dream land. But it was nothing compared to the person that I shared it with nightly.

He was captivating. His skin was creamy under the starlight. It was smooth and flawless. I could just imagine the way it would feel under my fingertips. His hair was an odd bronze color that I had never seen before. It was in constant disarray, whipping in the breeze like wildfire. I had a feeling, however, that it was the kind of hair that never stayed in place. It looked too perfect falling casually into his eyes.

His eyes.

Green. Bright green around the black irises. Glowing green against the lightness of his skin. They were more powerful than all the colors of the field.

They were also hypnotic. Every night, every time I visited the magical field, I started out by lying in the grasses as though I had been sleeping. They fanned out around me like a protective blanket that shielded me from the light breeze. I would stare up into the night sky, oddly content even though I was in a place that was different from the one I had fallen asleep in. I knew that no trouble could find me here. I would slowly sit up and take in my surroundings even though I knew them by heart. I would look at myself by instinct and I would always gasp in surprise. I was always wearing a white flowing skirt, a light white tank top of lace, and my feet were bare to the grass. I would cautiously get to my feet and twirl around slowly. I was always amazed that the field could continue endlessly until it met with the sky. When I completed my turn, my eyes would fall on him.

He too was wearing all white: white pants and a white shirt. He was sitting Indian style on the ground, twirling a daisy in his long, able fingers by its stem. His eyes would snap up to meet mine when I finally noticed him. They were intense beyond reason. No one had ever looked at me like that in my life. It held emotion after emotion. They went on forever, swirling in the jade pools that seemed to be fathomless. After what would feel like an eternity but not quite long enough, he would break the intense look that I couldn't stop staring at with a knee-weakening, completely dazzling crooked smile that showed off perfectly white teeth that added to the light of the night. He would hold out a one slender but muscular arm with the daisy clasped gently in his hand.

I would slowly walk forward, reveling in how graceful I felt in this place. I was naturally a klutz that managed to trip over my own two feet. He would continue to watch me patiently with the smile still present and the arm still outstretched. Once I was within a foot of him, I would collapse gently into the same position as him. The grasses here were bent out in a circle, smoothed to the ground where we were sitting but past our heads on the edges of the circle, enclosing us. It was our own little fortress in the endless expanse.

Before I could reach out to take the daisy from his hand, he would lean forward. I always got the same anxious horde of butterflies in my stomach. He was close enough to smell. He smelled sweet and calming, like the smell of laundry in the spring time. I could see flecks of gold in his passionate green eyes which bore into my own brown ones. His one hand would come to cup my cheek with such a delicate touch that my heart sputtered and stopped from the sweetness of it. The other hand, the one with the daisy, would tuck a lock of wavy brown hair behind my right ear then put the flower into place. All the while, he made a conscious effort to touch every part of my skin that he could and he handled me as though I was precious as porcelain. His lightly calloused fingers left burning trails of heat on my cheekbone, the length of my ear, and down my neck before he pulled away slowly. His hands would then fold in his lap as he stared pleasantly at me with emotion so strong, so real that my heart would flutter at an abnormal pace, one that I was sure would kill me.

That was how I found myself where I was now. I was looking over his face, examining the contours of it as though I would never get another chance. He was more boyish looking than he appeared to be from a distance. However, everything about him was so defined and angular that he was clearly a man. He had a handsomely strong and chiseled jaw, a straight nose, high cheekbones, and a smooth forehead. If I could guess, which I always did, I would say that he was about eighteen, nineteen at the most; much too young for me. I was disturbed by how that fact bothered me. It was as though I was angry for being the twenty four year old that I was. I knew that this was a dream, that this couldn't happen, and it wasn't real but I was still angry.

And yet….

I felt younger than I had in a while. The stress of my job made me feel older beyond my years. I was constantly teased for seeming to be middle-aged. Either I lost the stress that engulfed me in the real world or…but no. That wasn't possible, even for a place filled with magic.

Sometimes we would just stare at each other, unaware of the time passing. Sometimes, we would lie on the ground and watch as the stars slowly changed their positions in the sky even though the sun never rose. Sometimes he would hum along with the music that whispered in the wind, perfectly in tune with the notes. It was during times like these that he would smile at me with a secret smile and his eyes would glint with something unknown.

But tonight was different. Tonight, he talked. Despite the number of times that I had sat with him, which was probably for years (and he never changed), I had never heard him speak. The thought never crossed my mind. We were simply too content to bother with words. We felt everything about one another in the silence. Maybe it was magic of the land. Maybe it was the music. Maybe it was something else entirely.

His voice was beyond words. It was the most beautiful sound in the world; the music paled in comparison. It was like velvet and honey at the same time, melting and caressing me into a frenzy. It was music in its own way, as though notes were issuing from his mouth as well. I felt as though it was a sound that my body had been longing to hear without realizing it. I reacted in ways that I could not describe; my heart beat with furious nature, my mind spun, and my hands trembled.

"Bella."

One word, that's all it took. I was a pool of nothingness.

It took me a moment to realize that the music that issued from his mouth was my name. I couldn't imagine how he knew my name. We had never spoken before, not even to introduce ourselves. It was unnecessary in this place. It was as though we knew each other, that we were looking for each other all our lives. Names didn't matter now that we were together.

But I knew his. I was sure of it, just like I was sure of my safety in this place, sure that this was happiest I had ever been. I don't understand or even know how I knew it. It was just there in my mind and on the tip of my tongue. I spoke it without hesitation.

"Edward."

He smiled crookedly at me. I was sure that if I had been standing, I would have gone weak at the knees. He studied me for a minute before his gaze lingered on my left hand. I didn't look down even though I was curious as to what could catch his interest there. I always looked to same here, always wore the same thing. Nothing changed. But his next words rebutted my assumption.

"You are different," he said, his charming voice threaded with emotion. As I searched his face and his eyes, I was shocked to see what I found there. He was always so happy and serene. But now, I could not deny the sadness on his face and in his voice. No, it was worse than sadness. Despair.

"Am I?" I asked in wonder, not sure how to respond to this new emotion. All I knew is that my heart wanted to burst because of him.

He merely nodded and reached over to me slowly. He picked up my left hand in his slightly cold one. His thumb slid down the back of my hand, the heat trail burning pleasantly. It moved to my ring finger and slid down that too, over top of the obstacle that it found there. He looked back up into my eyes, the sadness and knowing smoldering in his green orbs. I held his face for a minute before I looked down in shock at my hand.

A diamond ring.

Suddenly, everything flew back to me. When I was in this place, even though I knew it was a dream, I tended to forget reality. I let it slip away with my stress and worry. I let everything from the real world stay there so that it would only be me and my personal angel of magic. But it did not stay away tonight. I saw the last evening I was awake clearly in my mind's eyes. A tall, handsome, russet skinned man on one knee. He was holding a diamond ring, the same diamond ring. He was sliding it onto my finger. Jacob.

My finger suddenly felt constricted, trapped. I pulled my hand from Edward's exquisite grasp even though I didn't want to. I tugged at the ring fiercely but it wouldn't budge. Had I agreed to this? It seemed so hard to imagine now that I was in this perfect place with this perfect man that I didn't even need to talk to to communicate with. Was it possible that I felt that way about the man from the other world? While I could remember instances and memories from that place, I could not feel the feelings that accompanied them. But I must have wanted it for it to be on my finger now, right? But if I did, why did it feel so wrong for Edward to know? Why did his pain tear at the very seams of my being, causing me to believe that I was in pain myself?

"I won't come off here," he spoke softly as he watched me. His smile was just as gentle as his voice and just as upset.

"Why not?" I asked as I continued to pull at it. My finger was red with the exertion. I could feel a dull, slightly throbbing pain but it was nothing compared to the pain that was stabbing at my chest with the furiousness of an animal. Vaguely, I wondered why I could even feel pain in this dream land.

He looked thoughtful as he peered over the grasses and around our land. When he looked back at me, he shrugged. "I am not certain. I just know that it won't."

"Where are we anyway?" I had never thought to ask until now. It had never mattered. I could have been in the center of Hell and it wouldn't have mattered. But now that things were less than perfect and equally troublesome, it somehow seemed to matter now. It was like knowing where we were would somehow solve why I couldn't make the ring budge.

"I am not positive on that either," he said, the smile returning and a light laugh was present in his voice. That was even more magical than the air. It ran down my spine in cascading waves. I shut my eyes while it rang around us so that all I would know for that moment would be that sound from heaven. "All I know is that it a place of waiting and finding." His look now was significant as though he was trying to convey something very important to me. My hand immediately stopped trying to remove the ring as I focused on him. I tried to understand but his meaning was beyond my grasp.

"So," I said after a minute of staring at him in silence. "Others come here then?"

Edward nodded slowly. "Yes, every second of every sunless day. Some leave almost immediately after their arrival. Others lounge in the grasses, too pleased to move, until it is their time as well. Others roam for days, months, years, waiting for something; they are the minority, though." He gazed into my eyes and I instantly knew which was the case for him.

"How long have you been here?" I asked in a quiet voice. I was stunned to learn that others were here with us. I always suspected at we were alone. For all I knew, there could be someone only a foot away from us for the grasses were too tall and too thick to know for sure. But at the same time, the knowledge did not frighten me. I knew that this was a place of good and no harm would befall me here. The fact that I somehow knew that Edward would protect me willingly if something did come for me stayed in the back of my mind before it could embarrass me.

Edward sighed and leaned his strong chin in his left hand as he looked into the sky behind me. I knew that he was not really seeing the glorious stars that gave us light. He was deep in thought. "I cannot be sure, Bella. I have wandered these grasses aimlessly for some time. Time is not counted here. One minute, one hour slips into the next without recognition. I would believe that time failed to exist completely if not for the passage of the stars. Maybe it is for the best. Surely I would go mad if I knew how long I had been waiting."

His speech was like something I only read about. It was straight from a turn-of-the-century novel. I could guess how long he had been here.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked, staring into the eyes that I longed to fall into. But once the words were out of my mouth, I knew the answer. It hit me like a ton of bricks. He could see the recognition in my eyes, I was sure.

He answered anyway. "I think I've been waiting for you." His voice was sure but hesitant at the same time. He smiled at me. "You've been coming for a while…even before you realized it, I believe. Always the same…physically. But young. You've seen me for a shorter time than you've actually been coming here. You are the only one that I know that leaves and returns again." He sighed, as he looked down at his hands. "There was a long expanse of time that I was here, I believe, before you showed up in this place. Even longer than you have been coming. I wandered around then. I'm not sure if I'm miles away from where I began or if I managed to only get a foot away. But the first day you appeared, I knew that I no longer needed to search. I knew you would return to the same place. I don't know how…instinctual, maybe. But since then, I've waited for you."

I was confused. I knew that my face was reflecting my feelings for I could see them echoing back at me through him. I gazed at him with wonder. This gorgeous person that I sometimes felt that I invented was waiting for me? Could that be possible?

"Well, if I'm what you've been waiting for, why are you still here?"

"Of the people that have waited around here, I have come to notice a kind of pattern." He bit his lip as though trying to think of a way to communicate his suspicions. "If they have been waiting here, they usually wait until someone else shows up. Then, together, they leave like the others. Sometimes it takes a while but I have never seen anyone around for as long as I believe that I have been. Granted, I do not know how long this field stretches on for but I've seen many more than I count." He sighed again, a sound that was music to my ears. "You, however, come and go at almost regular intervals. I have never seen that. But if you are really what I have been waiting for, then I cannot leave until you stay for good."

I digested this information. It made sense and deep down I knew that he was right. But something still plagued at my mind. "But how do I stay here?" I asked. I knew that I wanted to, without a doubt. While I knew that I belonged to another place and the memories from that place flooded my mind, I could not really find a reason to not stay here with Edward. I knew that I was meant to be here, where ever here was. Here, that other place held no feeling. It was just a place that didn't compare to this one. It did not have the colors, the aliveness, the magic. It did not have Edward.

He shook his head in a gesture of hopelessness. "I do not know, Bella, dear. I do not even know how I got here." The look of sadness returned to his eyes.

As I looked at him with a sadness of my own, I felt a distinct pulling sensation from all over my body. I wasn't being pulled off the ground or away but as though I was being pulled from existence. I'm sure that I look frightened but Edward merely looked on with even more sadness in his eyes.

"What's happening?" I asked, fear threaded through my voice.

"You are going back to where ever it is you came from," he answered calmly.

"I don't want to leave!" I yelled into the silence. It sounded foreign in this place of peace and it echoed across the flat landscape. "I want to help you. I want to stay with you!"

"I'm afraid you cannot do that." His voice was downtrodden and it ripped me to shreds. I was afraid to leave him. "I have no hold on you."

"Why?" I shouted as the pulling persisted. I couldn't leave. I was meant to be here. I knew that. Somehow, in my bones, in my heart, in my soul, I was supposed to be with Edward.

"I don't know." He was so helpless that I let out a cry of pain for him. His eyes scrunched up at my voice in pain of his own.

He reached for my hand. I grasped his in my own. "Please." I was begging.

"Look for me!" he said suddenly, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Look for me where you come from, Bella!"

"Where?" I cried. I felt myself disappearing from the field. His grip on my hand was not as strong as it had been a second ago.

He closed his eyes tightly as I drifted farther and farther away. "Um…."

"Edward!" The grip was almost nonexistent now.

"Chicago!" He shouted to me. He lowered his lips to my right hand and brushed his lips to it even though I could not feel it. "Look in Chicago!"

With one last look in his eyes, he disappeared from my sight. Everything was black. It was as though I had been swallowed by the sky. But as quickly as the sensation had started, it stopped.

My eyes popped open. I was lying on my bed in my room at my father's house. I was home.


	2. Part II

**Author's Note: I would like to thank those that reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate your comments. They are what keep me writing.**

**Disclaimer: Same old story. I own nothing.**

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**Something Was Missing**

**Part II**

I was frequently haunted by the magical field and Edward in my waking hours but never quite like this. Before last night, it had always been a sweet dream that I tucked away and would recall when I was having a bad day and needed something to look forward to. But now, it seemed to be more than a dream. It seemed to be some sort of other reality.

As I got ready for the day, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something that I needed to do. I could remember Edward and the field but I could not remember specifics. Everything was fuzzy. I knew that we had conversed for the first time last night. I knew that the conversation had been important and altering but I couldn't remember what it had been about. I knew that his voice had been the most alluring thing I had ever heard but I couldn't quite remember it. It was all there, on the edge of my consciousness, teetering back and forth as though about to jump off and disappear forever.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a moment before I pulled my hair up in a ponytail. It was raining and why bother doing my hair if it was just going to get wet. Raining in Forks; what a surprise.

I had actually come to like Forks, Washington over the years that I lived here. It was nice, safe, and comfortable. Forks is the definition of "small town life". Everyone knew everyone else. It was a big deal if someone new moved into the town. Trust me, I know.

I haven't always lived in Forks. Believe it or not, I used to live in Phoenix, Arizona with my mother for most of my life. Her and my father divorced when I was very young. My mother couldn't stand the oppressing clouds and constant rain so she took me away to a place full of invariable sunshine and warmth. I lived there up until the middle of my junior year. My mother had gotten married and she needed some time alone with her new husband. My mother would never say such a thing but I had always been able to read her exceptionally well. So I condemned myself to Forks, trading in my shorts, tank tops, and flip flops for jeans, sweaters, and waterproof boots.

It wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. After everyone got over the fact that I was the new girl in town, I was able to find a nice, tight-knit group of friends that has lasted through the years. My father is incredibly easy to live with. He just needs someone to clean and cook while he watches the endless games that seem to play on our television. After I graduated, I went to the University of Washington. I was only a few hours away from home and I came back constantly.

"Bella?"

I looked out the bathroom door and to the stairs. I could hear his feet thumping on them. He was never one to mask his presence.

Jacob Black. He was the love of my life. I met him within my first week of moving here and we quickly became friends. He was so easy to be around and he had this ever-cheery aura around him. You just couldn't help but want be around him. It was like he was the sun's substitute in this cloudy place. At least that's what he was to me; my own personal sun. Near the end of my senior year, Jacob no longer wanted to be "just friends". He made that clear when he hauled off and kissed me in the middle of some conversation we were having. I was stunned by the action but not displeased. It was gentle and kind and comforting and safe; just like Forks. From there, we transitioned from friends into lovers with amazing ease. Nothing was really different about our relationship, just a lot more kissing. We had always been very close and it only seemed natural that we took the next step.

It was like everyone had been waiting for it. Everyone on the Indian reservation of La Push where he lived and everyone in Forks. It was like it was meant to be. We dated all through my college career as well as his. He's two years younger than me and he just recently graduated from college. Now he was working full time in the garage that he ran and he couldn't be happier.

He smiled brightly at me when he saw me. His grin lit up his entire face. He really was attractive. He had the most beautiful russet skin. He towered over me and his strength was obvious through his tee shirt. His long, flowing black hair was held together by a gum band at the nape of his neck. In two steps, he crossed the landing and enveloped me in his arms.

It was a warm, comfortable embrace that eased me. My head rested perfectly on his chest and I listened to his heart beat steadily. He rubbed my back for a second before pulling away and looking down into my eyes. I saw all the love he held for me in the dark brown orbs. He gave me a kiss. A kiss like all the others: sweet, gentle, safe.

I was startled by how disappointed I was by the kiss. They never changed. They were nice. I never minded them before. I could feel something tugging at my consciousness as though trying to alert me to something but it eluded me again. I shook off the feeling of discontent and looked up at him as he grabbed my left hand and ran his thumb down the length of my arm, to my hand, and down my ring finger.

The gesture surprised me. I was having a major sense of déjà vu. I knew that I had experienced this before but I couldn't remember when or where. I also expected to feel a pleasurable trail of fire spreading down my arm from his touch but it never came. It was warm but that was just due to the warmth that he possessed. I was confused and I'm sure that it showed. Something was wrong but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I looked down to see what he was staring at so lovingly. The diamond ring. We were engaged. The night flooded back into my mind and I couldn't help but smile at the memory. He was so hesitant at dinner when he got down on one knee and pulled out the velvet jewelry box.

_Velvet_….

I shook my head as I smiled up at him. His kiss last night had been more passionate but still the same safeness was in it. There was no fire, no raw passion. Should it be like that? Why was I thinking like that? It had always been Jacob and _just_ Jacob. Why was I acting like this wasn't enough? It was enough. Of course it was; it was everything.

He didn't seem to notice the turmoil that was taking place inside of me. He just rotated my hand back and forth, catching the diamond in different patches of light, making it sparkle.

_Sparkle_….

That tugging was present in my mind again. I could see the endless field in front of me, the stars above me, and the magic floating around me. But what did Jacob have to do with that place?

"I've been waiting for you, Bella."

I saw Jacob's mouth move to make the words. I knew that he spoke them aloud. But it wasn't in his deep, calm rumble that I heard them. The voice that reached my ears was that musical, velvety voice of my dreams. No, of the other reality. Edward was standing in front of me with that crooked grin that melted my knees.

Edward!

The dream came rushing back with a force that left me breathless. I knew what was bothering me. I had to find Edward; I had to find where he was. I had to help him so that he could leave that beautiful but constricting place.

I pulled my hand from Jacob's grasp and ran back to my room. I ripped my closet open and pulled out an old duffle and started throwing clothes in it from my drawers and closet without really paying much attention to my selection. All that mattered was that I helped Edward. I had to go to Chicago and find out who he was.

I could feel Jacob watching me from the doorway. I knew that if I turned to look at him he would be completely confused. I knew that what I was doing made absolutely no sense. It would seem even crazier if he knew that I was chasing after a dream, literally. But I had to do it. There was no questioning it.

"What's going on, Bella?" Jake finally asked, clearly stunned by my behavior. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I have to go to Chicago," I replied as I brushed past him to grab my toothbrush from the bathroom. I came back and threw that in the duffle as well. Then I zipped it up and threw it over my shoulder. "I've only just remembered."

He followed me as I rushed downstairs. My father was already at the station. I would have to leave him a note explaining that there was an emergency. Obviously, I would lie but it was the thought that counts. I set my bag on one of the chairs in the kitchen and quickly penned a note to my father. I pinned it to the fridge. He would certainly see it there.

"Why? What's wrong? What's in Chicago?" His questions came out so quickly I didn't have time to answer them before another came.

"I need to see my old friend…Julie. She called me last night. She's having some family problems." It was bull and I was a horrible liar. I'm surprised that Jacob didn't see through my charade. But I guess that my panicked state helped the matter.

"Should I come with you?" he asked. "I could go home real quick and-."

I cut him off. "No!" I realized that I sounded a little suspicious. "No. Thank you, Jake. But it's kind of a girl thing. I'll be back soon." I pecked him on the cheek. "I'll have my cell phone. Watch after Charlie. Don't just let him eat take-out, please."

I grabbed my bag from the chair and all but ran to the door. I pulled my keys and jacket off their respective hooks and ran to my aged truck in the rain. I tossed my bag on the seat next to me once I was inside and coxed my old motor into life. I looked back to the house and saw Jacob standing on the porch, drenched by the rain, staring after me with confusion…and hurt. I felt some remorse for just taking off on him like that but there was nothing that I could do. I had to do this for Edward.

With one last look into those dark eyes that I loved and the ones that would haunt me until I returned home, I pulled out of the driveway and skidded onto the road, kicking up a shower of mud into the air in my haste. I pulled onto the highway, already driving at the top speed my poor old Chevy could handle—a mere fifty five miles per hour. Anything over that and the thing started sputtering, shaking, and wheezing like an old man. Normally, it didn't bother me; I didn't mind taking it slow and the speed limits around Forks and La Push barely went over twenty five. But now, when I really needed some power and speed, I had nothing. I would take a full hour, if not more, to make it to the airport in Port Angeles.

After an hour of crappy music, truck horns, and endless trees, I finally made it to the airport. I quickly pulled into the long term parking lot and jumped out, pulling my bag with me. I all but ran to the doors, careful not to trip over anything, especially my own two feet. Once inside, I made a mad dash for the ticket counter, not paying attention to the crowds of people I had yelling vulgarities as I pushed through them. Because I am just so lucky, I was able to book a flight for Seattle in an hour and another flight that would take me to Chicago. I checked through security, not having to worry about checking luggage—the advantage of travelling light or, in my case, in a hurry. They were already boarding my flight when I made it to the gate and I joined the cue. I looked at the passengers in line with me, never staring at one face for too long. I was only looking for one person and I knew that I wouldn't find him here. He told me to look in Chicago and that was what I was going to do. It had thousands of people living there but I would have to try. It was the least I could do.

But as a flight attendant checked my ticket and I proceeded through the tunnel to the plane, I wondered why. Why was that the least I could do? What did this man mean to me? Was I thanking him for sitting with me, for keeping me company? For something so trivial? I knew the answer. It had nothing to do with that. There was some other reason, a reason that my consciousness was clearly not aware of. I needed to help him find out who he was and why he was there. If I did, maybe he could leave and maybe I would find out why I continued to visit every night once I was asleep.

The first flight went by quickly for I was too trapped in my musings of Edward and the field. I found the gate for my second flight after landing, not wanting to risk missing it. I folded myself up in the uncomfortable blue chairs and watched as the area began to fill up around me even though I wasn't really seeing any of them. Edward was the only thing on my mind.

It was odd, I knew, to be so…obsessive over a dream. But in my heart, I knew that it was something more than that, something more powerful. There was a reason that I was there, just like there was a reason that Edward was there. Maybe we were there for the same reason. Maybe….

I scolded myself for putting me and Edward in context together. Here I was, thinking incessantly over a dream-man that had me flying halfway across the country while my fiancé was confused and hurt by my actions. I had never felt so selfish in my life but I couldn't find the right place in my mind to truly be upset by it. It was wrong but it felt right. I shouldn't be doing this but I didn't care. What kind of person did that make me?

I got the window seat for my flight to Chicago. I watched the asphalt race past as the plane picked up speed and finally took off. I felt a little better once I was in the air. I was on my way to finding Edward and I couldn't turn back now. I had chosen my path and I would have to live that now. I could live with that.

I'm not sure when I started to feel drowsy or when I allowed myself to close my eyes. The next thing that I knew, I was lying in the peaceful field, surrounded by grasses and wild flowers of stunning vibrancy. Of one thing I was certain, it was light when I fell asleep. But there was no sun here, just the cloudless night sky that was covered with tons of brilliant stars that cast their glow on the field. The warm breeze and the low hum of the lullaby were present as always.

Before sitting up, I looked myself over. As always, I was in my flowing white get-up with my brown hair falling in light ringlets around me. Just as last night, the gorgeous diamond ring was on my finger. It took a moment to look through my mind to remember why it was there. I could see a blurry face of russet swimming in my mind. It took a little longer to put a name to the face and a reason for why he was there.

Jacob. Fiancé.

In this place, the mere thought had a biting aftertaste. It seemed wrong to be thinking about it here in this paradise. It was as though thoughts of him didn't belong here. The ring weighed my hand down with a crushing force. I wanted to take it off but I knew that it wouldn't work. It would be the same as the last time I was here.

"Bella?"

A sound more musical and beautiful than even the setting rippled through the grasses behind me. I could feel him. It was as though electricity was running rampant through my body. I was pulled to him. I quickly stood up from my waking place and crossed the few feet to our circle where he was waiting patiently.

He smiled crookedly at me as I took my seat. Never one to disappoint, he held my yellow daisy in his long, white, nimble fingers. Once I was perfectly situated, he leaned forward, one hand cupping my face and the other tucking the daisy behind my ear before brushing the skin at my neck with his fingers.

But today, or tonight, or maybe it was all the same day here, was different. I could read it in his passionate green eyes that seemed to be darker than ever. I could see it on his face which was tight with anticipation. I could feel it in my stomach where the horde of butterflies had turned into something a little for aggressive—dragonflies maybe. But most of all, I could feel it in his touch. The fire was stronger and more consuming than ever before. His touch was slightly heavier than the brush of feathers that it normally was. And it didn't stop at my throat this time. The fingers of his left hand continued across my collarbone to my shoulder. From my shoulder, they snaked pleasantly down my arm, effectively raising a fair amount of goose bumps in the process. His hand then found my waist. Disappointingly, the skin there was clothed and the fire stopped at my hand. His other hand grasped my own. He stood up before me, gently pulling me with him. Soon, I was flush up against him.

It took only an instant to realize how intimate and romantic the scene around us was. The light from the stars shone dimly around us, our bodies pale in the glow. The breeze tickled past us, lifting our hair gently. The sweet aroma from the flowers filled our senses though it was not enough to stop the scent that came from Edward. The tall grasses enveloped us in a safe cocoon. Our bodies were touching at every possible point. The heat from the touch seemed to surround us like the burning of a bonfire and not even the breeze could cool it down.

It was then that our eyes connected. Green on brown. Emerald on chocolate. His eyes were so intense that I felt as though they were burning a hole right through me. The longer we stared at each other, the darker his eyes grew. Emotion after emotion flew over the surface that it became too much to comprehend. All I knew was that I never felt such a strong emotion nor had I witnessed one in another while they were looking at me. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. It was everything. I felt alive, truly alive, for the first time in my young life even though I knew I was dreaming. My heart was pounding, my breath was labored, my hands, which hand ended up on his chest, were trembling, my stomach was going crazy. Every part of me had a response to Edward.

It wasn't until those mysteriously enchanting eyes were taking up more and more of my vision that I realized that our faces were coming together as well. When I had been staring at him, reveling in the reaction my body had for him, I never once thought of bringing the one part of our body that wasn't touching together. But now that it was close and within my reach, I wanted nothing more than to have his lips on mine. They were perfectly symmetrical and they looked impossibly smooth like the rest of his skin. They were parted slightly, breathing in as heavy as I was. I could feel that his own eyes were on my lips as well and I wondered if he wanted the same thing that I did. I wasn't sure if was my face or his that was moving closer or if it was both of us. All I knew was that I couldn't hold out much longer. Nothing else mattered at that point. I was gone.

I felt his cool breath fan across my face and my eyes flickered shut by their own accord. My own breath shuddered in my chest. He was so close. I was so close….

A brush. That's all it was. It was like he ran his fingertip across my bottom lip. I shivered even though the back of my mind registered that it was so small that it hardly deserved a reaction. But it wasn't insignificant. It was like a spark had been ignited by the contact, the friction. The heat spread across my lips and across my face. So small but so vital.

I'm not sure who was responsible for what happened next. All that I knew was that my lips were crushed against his in the most gentle but passionate way. I felt as though I was on overload; there was so much to feel that my brain couldn't handle it all at once. The smoothness of his lips, the way they moved with mine in perfect synchronization, the fire that was raging at the junction of my lips, the warm feel of the skin on his neck, the softness of his disarrayed hair, the feel of his chest against my own, the tempting brush of his fingertips on this skin at my hip. It was all too much.

Slowly, he pulled away. I kept my eyes closed. I didn't want to lose the moment. It was like all the romance novels that I had ever read, a kiss I always longed for. A kiss that I never received before. It all came from a boy who was trapped in a place that seemed to be from a dream and didn't seem to want to keep me. That alone could have killed me.

I felt something gently sweep across my nose. It was enough to tempt me to open my eyes. He was staring down at me with eyes even darker than before that they were nearly black. There was a small smile on his lips and I felt his hand instinctively pull me tighter against his body. I didn't complain. I just smiled back at him, completely conscious of the blush on my cheeks. Part of me wanted to break from the gaze that he had me under but I couldn't manage it. His eyes were too entrancing and they held all the emotions that I had been hoping I would one day find in someone's eyes.

How ironic. All from a dream boy. Just my luck.

He was the first to speak. "I am fully aware that I should not have done that. Forgive me, Bella, darling. It is inexcusable." As a look of sheepish embarrassment and anger passed over his eyes, he bowed his head. His angel-like face tore me apart from the inside out. He shouldn't be upset; it was just wrong.

"Why would you say that?" I asked, confused by his sudden change in emotion.

His face looked back at mine, the sadness omnipresent in the green orbs that I loved to lose myself in. He didn't answer or move for even the longest time. He just stared at me. Then, taking the hand that had been rubbing gentle circles on my back, he reached behind him to grab one of the hands that was still tangled in his hair. He held it out in front of us. The diamond ring sparkled up at us, reflecting light onto our skin. I sighed.

"Inexcusable," he said again, revulsion now the key emotion.

I shook my head quickly, taking a small step closer to him even though our bodies had not lost the previous contact. "No. I'm on my way to Chicago. I'm looking for you." I could hear the desperation in my voice.

"You are betrothed, Bella," he took a step away me but our limbs stayed locked around each other. He wanted to limit the contact but he couldn't seem to break it completely. "There is someone who is waiting for you back home." He paused and his lips moved wordlessly for a moment as though he could not make himself continue. But he did. "It's not me."

I took his face between my hands and stared deeply into his eyes. "I am going to Chicago and I will find you. I will do everything in my power to find you. You may be waiting for me there."

"But will it change anything?" he asked, a small smile on his face as though he was trying to make me see reason. "I don't have to compete with anyone here, Bella. I'm the only one you see. But where you come from, in your reality, there is someone who loves you very much. He wants to spend the rest of his life with you. I can't possibly compete with that."

"No," I said, my own smile on my face. "You've already won. I have never felt like this before." And it was true. Jacob, my Jacob, the man who had been my best friend for years, had nothing on Edward. He loved me, of that I had no doubt. But it was nothing compared to what I saw in Edward's eyes.

"It could be a result of this place. It enhances everything. It is magical. I could be nothing where you come from."

"I doubt that," I said. "I see it in your eyes." I smiled a little brighter.

Edward sighed and pulled is body away from mine completely. The sudden loss of his skin mingled with mine was pure heartache. I immediately felt as though something was missing. It was as though he took a part of me away with him.

But I knew that wasn't true. I felt the same as I always did. It was rather like he was that missing piece of the puzzle. He made me whole, complete. I was perfect when he was holding me in his arms. But now that he was away, even by only a foot, I felt like I had been broken apart. It's true that you can't miss what you never had. But now that I had it, I wasn't about to lose it. I was adamant on that, at least.

"I know what you see in my eyes," he said as he turned his back to me. He stared off at the horizon, where swaying green grasses met black expanse littered with stars. His shoulders hunched as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger with his right hand. "I know what it is that I feel for you; someone that I didn't need to talk to…not even to know my love." My breath hitched at 'love'. I didn't need any more reason. That had me. I was his. "But you don't know what you feel. No, you don't know if what you feel is real. This isn't your reality, Bella. There is someone else in that reality. And even if I am there and you find me, that doesn't mean that I can match up to him. I see how it is for you here. You barely remember anything that pertains to that other world. So you can't possibly know that you feel stronger for me than the other. You just can't."

He sighed heavily, his breath shaking. I watched him closely for a minute. Even without seeing his face, I could tell that he was in pain. I could feel his pain. I coursed through me like a driving knife. In a single stride, I closed the distance between us and put my hands on his shoulders. He stiffened for a moment at the contact but he quickly relaxed under my fingers.

"Then I at least deserve the chance to see. Don't you agree, Edward?"

He nodded after I spoke and his right hand fell to his side. He breathed in deeply and I could imagine him closing his eyes as he did so.

"But I'm going to need some help," I prompted. I stepped away from him and moved back to where I normally sat in the grass. I sat in our usual Indian-style position. I waited silently for him to join me. After a minute he did, sitting closer than he usual. He raised an eyebrow, a signal for me to continue. "I need you to try to remember something…like why you sent me to Chicago. Anything that give me a clue as to where to find you. I need somewhere to start."

He bit his lip in thought as he stared up at the sky. He thought about it for a while, long enough that I absentmindedly braided a few pieces of grass together while I watched him. I couldn't take my eyes away. I knew when he had found something that could be useful. His green eyes, which were still dark with his anger at himself, lit up considerably. His eyes quickly found mine, the crooked smile in place.

"I remember a house," he said, his voice distant as he looked into his mind. "It isn't in the city, exactly, but you can see the buildings from the top of the large maple tree in the front yard. They are not too far away. It's a red brick house with white shutters. A long, wooden porch is on the front. There is a single oak rocker on the porch, surrounded by wicker chairs and a swinging bench at the end. On the railing of the house are flowers that are practically spilling from their flowerboxes. There is a white picket fence around the yard with the large maple to the right of the cobblestone sidewalk. It is lined with roses." He sighed, a smile on his face at the memory. "The name Hickory comes to mind. Hickory Drive. I want to say 479 is the number but I can't be sure…."

He trailed off, his mind still going over the house in his head. I smiled at his expression. "Thank you. That should help a little bit."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt the tugging sensation once again. He automatically came back to me and reached for my hand. I grabbed his and held on. He leaned down a kissed it gently, his green eyes locked on mine the entire time.

I could feel myself being pulled farther and farther away. I would be gone in a minute. I knew that he may not like it but I had to say it. I wouldn't rest until I did. I might be wrong, it might not be real, but I couldn't help myself. It was there and I couldn't resist it.

"I love you, Edward," I said, my voice strong with conviction. I stared at him with hard eyes as though challenging him to say anything against it. "I will find you. I promise."

Edward stared back at me, a sad look in his eyes. But there was also something else mixed in. Could it be? Or was I imagining it? Nothing was impossible at this point.

Just as I could no longer feel the ground beneath me, the wind playing at my hair, the grass tickling my arms, or his hand grasping mine, he gave me a small smile.

"I love you, my Bella, darling."

I was swallowed by the blackness again before I found myself in my seat on the airplane. An attendant was standing over me, wearing a forced smile with lip liner. "Miss? Please buckle your seatbelt. We will be landing shortly."

She stalked away with a slight shake of her head. I glared after her before complying. I watched as the asphalt raced up to meet us. I felt the light, double bump as the tires hit the ground and we finally came to a stop.

"Flight 175, Seattle to Chicago."

* * *

**Well, there is Part II. I really hope that you enjoyed it. **

**I would like to wish everyone that is reading a safe and happy New Year! And now, if you would be so kind, please review.**


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